Index-card file.



PATENTED MARI. 31,'19-03.

o. A. EVANS. INDEX GARD PILE.

APPLICATION FILED APB.. 4; 1902.

"wm mum l f um vro l UNITED STATES! PATENT FFIC.

f CLARENCE A. EVANS, OF; UPLAND, PENNSYLVANIA.

|NDEx-CRD FILE.

SPECIFICATION forming partV of Letters Patent No. 724,173, dated CMarch31, 1903. Appnmion fired April 4, 1902.` Ysenti No. 101,355. on man.)

To ail whom it may' concern,.-

Be it known that I, CLARENCE A. EVANS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Upland, in the county of Delaware,St ate of Penn- Sylvania,have invented a new and useful Im-A provement in Index-Card Files, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention consists of an improved in-` dex-card tile, the objectbeing to simplify the- `construction of the card file or tray and toprovide means that permit the easy manipuf' lation of the card to applyand remove the same and whichv also obviates the use of initricatemechanism and the perforation orl otherwise cutting into the body of thecard and mutilating the same and decreasing thewriting-surface thereofin order to lock and an index-card file or tray embodying my invention.Fig. 2 represents a vertical longitudinal vsection of a portion thereofo n the line a: ac, Fig. 3. Eig. 3 represents a vertical transversesection on the line 'y' y, Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 represents a transverse vertical section of the lower portion ofthe follower and bottom of the tray,taken from the side opposite t0 thatshown in Fig. 3. Figs. 5, 6, and `'7 represent fragmentary transversesections of modified constructions embodying my invention.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in thefigures.

Referring tothe drawings, receptacle, tray-,f4 orjdrawer which in itsgeneral characteristics is of usual form.`

B designates a suitable longitudinally-extending guideslot in the bottomC of the tray, the same being adapted to kreceive the elbow or angulararm D on the follower E, said arm D being suitablysecured at the upperend of its vertical limb to the said follower and provided with tonguesF at its sides to engage the walls of the slot B, so that the lower limbcan slide in said slot. The arm D is resilient, and it can be adjustedby means of the screw G in the follower and the A designates a- 1 nutI-I on said screw in an obvious manner,

and thus increase and decrease the pressure of the lower limb of saidresilient'arm on the walls of the slot or channel B. The base of thefollower is somewhat broad andV rests flat upon the bottom C, so that itis sustained in upright position on the latter while the en d of thelower limb of the resilient arm D presses against the wall of the slot Bon the under side of said bottom and may have the pressure adj usted bythe screw G, as has been stated.

In accordance with the broad principle involved in my invention Iprovide thesides or side walls .I of the tray with downwardly-faci ingshoulders L, that coact with upwardlyfacing shoulders N upon the card Mto hold the latter in place, but which by being bent can be disengagedto permit its removal. The shouldersl L are at the upper ends of thegrooves K in the sides of the tray, and the shoulders N are at the upperends of the tongues on the sides of the card J. It is understood thatthe` downwardly-facing shoulders of the wall of the tray are permanentand made as a part thereof, and the construction is such that nomanipulation of the locking devices is required to secure or release thecard, this being done by simply bending the card to reduce the distancebetween the ends thereof to clear the shoulders on the tray. Oneembodiment of this part of my invention is shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3,in which Vthere jis a channel or `groove or end-cut portion K -at thelower side of each side wall, thus providing the downwardly-facingshoulders L,

and this makes .the distance between the `sides of the upper portion ofthe tray less than the lower portion. The cards correspond to across-'section of the tray-that is to say, the upper portion of the cardlits between the upper portion of the tray, while the lower portion ortongues P enter the grooves or channels Kin the side walls of the tray,as clearly shown in Fig. 3. v In this way itis seen that when the cardsstand as shown in Fig. 3 they are locked in position, while theyI can bemoved back and forth in the ordinary way, and when they are to beremoved all that is necessary is to bend the card until the distancebetween the ends of the tongues P is IOO less than that between 'theupper portions of the side walls of the tray, as shown in Fig. 1, andthen withdrawing the card.

It will be seen that the card may be easily manipulated, while at thesame time I obviate the employment of movable rods and similar devicesthat pass through the slots and openings in the cards as heretoforeemployed. Furthermore, the bodies of the cards are not cut or perforatedand they present an increased writing-surface. The cards can be entirelyremoved and as readily replaced to rengage the oppositely-facingshoulders of Vthe same and the tray.

Another useful result and advantage of my invention is that, as shown inFig. 1, a card may be exposed to view by raising it above the othercards without entirely removing it from the tray for inspection,reference, copying, &c., since the flexibility of the card will forcethe ends of the tongues P into contact with the upper portions of thewall of the tray, when the card is released in this position, and theengagement between the tongues and the tray due to the tension of thecard is sufficient to support it in the position shown in Fig. 1, andthus the card can be read o without the necessity of either removing itentirely from the tray or holding it in the hands, leaving both handsfree for other purposes.

In Fig. 5 I-have shown a modified construction which consists infastening strips Q to the sides of the tray to form overhanging portionsand downwardly-.facing shoulders and channels. This differs from theform shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 in that in the latter the parts are madeintegral, while the construction shown in Fig. 5 is applicable to traysfor card-indexes new in present use and provided with other means forlocking the cards, so that if it is desired to change these trays havingother locking means the same can be accomplished by the addition of thestrips Q.

In Fig. 6 I have shown another modification in the manner of securingthe downwardlyfacing shoulder on the tray and the upwardlyfacingshoulder on the card. This construction embodies the formation of a :ribR on the side wall .I of the tray and a notch or cut'- away portion S inthe ends of the card.

In Fig. 7 I have shown another modification, and in this constructionthe downwardly-facing shoulder on the tray is formed by the groove T,situated a little distance above the bottom thereof, to receive thetongue U at the end of the card, and is, in effect, a reduction of theheight of the groove or channel shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 from alongthe lower edge thereof.

In the present case the tongues having the shoulders, as so termed,areformed of lateral extensions of the cards integral with the same orproduced by making the portions of said cards partly or entirely widerthan the other portion, or pieces may be attached to the cards in suchmanner as to project laterally therefrom, forming tongues withoutpredileing different results.

It will be evident that the shoulders on the cards may be made inclinedas well as the shoulders on the tray, and I do not, therefore, desire tobe limited to any particular form of shoulders, but desire to make suchchanges as come within the scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what Iclairn as new, and desire tosecure by Letter 1. In a device of the kind specified, a tray having aportion of the interior wider than the remainder, forming adownwardly-facing `shoulder on each wall thereof and a card havingextended therefrom, upwardly -facing shoulders to engage said shouldersof the tray when the card is placed therein and the narrower portion ofthe card being situated in the narrower portion of the tray.

2. In a device of the kind specified, a tray having a groove or channelextending along each side wall thereof, the lower edge of said groovesbeing situated at the bottom of the tray, in combination with aremovable card having a tongue at each end adapted to fit within saidgrooves when said card is situated within the tray.

3. In a device of the kind specified, a tray, having a portion of itsinterior width wider than the remainder, said wider portion extendinglongitudinally thereof, and a removable card having a portion thereofwider than IOO the remainder, said wide and narrow portions of the cardfitting the wide and narrow portions of the tray.

Il. In a device of the kind specified, a tray having a portion thereofwider than the remainder, said wide portion extending longitudinallythereof, and a card having a portion thereof wider than the remainder,said wide and narrow portions of the card litting the wide and narrowportions of the tray when the card is in its normal position in thetray, said card being adapted to be curved to remove the same, and saidnarrow portion of the tray being adapted to engage with the wide portionof the card, whereby the latter can be heid in elevated position withrespect to its normal position in the tray.

5. In an index-card tile, a receptacle, the latter having alongitudinally-extending slot therein, a follower, movably rested on thebottom of said receptacle, a resilient angularlyshaped arm connectedwith said follower and guided in said slot, and means on said followerand said arm for adjusting the pressure of the latter in said slot.

CLARENCE A. EVANS.

IIO

